Ice-chipping machine



July 20, 1954 Filed June 8, 1950 w. 1 o'BRlEN 2,684,207

ICE-CHIPPING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Miva/Mey July 20, 1954 w. L.o'BRlEN 2,684,207

ICE-CHIPPING MAdHINE Filed June 8. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July20, 1954 ICE-CHIPPING MACHINE William L. OBrien, Evansville, Ind.,assigner to Servel, Inc., NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of DelawareApplication June 8, 1950, Serial No. 166,948

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an ice chipping machine adapted toproduce ice in finely divided form for use at soda fountains, bars,restaurants and the like for cooling beverages or for similar purposes.

Machines of this kind have heretofore been provided in which ice to bechipped is placed in a hopper and chipped ice delivered through a radialspout into a glass or other receptacle. When the desired amount of icehas been obtained the machine is stopped and the receptacle removed. Insuch prior art machines the chipped ice is delivered through the spoutby centrifugal force imparted thereto by a rotating element and thepassages including the spout are apt to become clogged.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improvedice chipping machine of the type indicated having a construction andarrangement of elements which eliminates plugging of the passagesthrough which ice is delivered from the machine.

Another object is to provide a machine of the type indicated withmechanism for positively propeiling chipped ice from the chippingelement as fast as it is formed.

Another object is to provide a machine of the type indicated with aprogressively divergent passageway for chipped ice from the place ofchipping to the place of discharge.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an ice chippingmachine of the type indicated which is of simple and sturdyconstruction, reliable in operation and economical to manufacture.

These and other objects will become more apparent from the followingdescription and drawings n which like reference characters denote likeparts throughout the several views. it is to be expressly understood,however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only andnot a definition oi the limits of the invention, reference being had forthis purpose to the appended claims. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of an ice chipping machineincorporating the novel features of the present invention and showingthe divergent passageway for chipped ice;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 andshowing the picks projecting upwardly from the rotating disk and thespiral vanes depending from the disk;

Fig. 3 is a transversce sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l andshowing the driving means for rotating the chipping plate or disk;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan View of one of the spiral vanes depending fromthe disk;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the spiral vane illustrated in Fig. 4 andshowing its progressive increase in height from one end to the other;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional View taken on line 6-5 of Fig. 2 showing apick tooth struck up from the disk;

Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 'l-'l of Fig. 6showing the ribbed form of the pick to increase its resistance tobending; and

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional View taken on line 8 3 oi Fig. 2 showingone of the hollow spacer sleeves for mounting the housing on the base.

Referring to the drawings, the machine comprises a sheet metal base 9 ofgenerally rectangular form, see Fig. 2, and formed to provide adepending peripheral ilange or skirt le, an intermediate shelf i l, anda recessed portion I2 at the center. A pad or gasket I3 of rubber orother suitable soft material is provided at the bottom edge of theflange lll of the base.

A housing l5 in the form of a nished casting is mounted on the base S.The housing l5 comprises a centrally located hollow bearing sleeve til,a face plate ll at the upper end of the bearing sleeve, a vertical walli8 at the periphery of the face plate and having an outlet opening istherein and a spout 2l) extending outwardly from Sthe opening nrsttangentially and then radially,

see Fig. 2. The housing i5 is mounted on the base 9 by hollow spacertubes 2l which extend between the shelf l I of the base and the bottomor" three lugs 22 projecting radially from the wall IB of the housingmember in equally spaced relationship, see Figs. 2, 3 and 8. Screws 23extend through the shelf l l and lugs 22, respectively, and are screwedinto the threaded ends of the tubes to rigidly support the housing l5 onthe base 9.

A drive shaft ill is rotatably mounted in antifriction bearings 25 inthe hollow bearing sleeve the anti-friction bearings being seatedbetween shoulders on the shaft and in the sleeve to properly locate theshaft in the sleeve. The shaft 2d is driven by an electric motor 2Smounted on a pad Elia extending laterally from the bearing sleeve. Apinion 2l on the shaft of the motor 25 meshes with a reduction gear 23keyed to the lower end of shaft 26 and held in place thereon by a washer29 and nut 3@ screwed onto the lower threaded end of the shaft. Adriving head 3l is mounted fast on the upper end of shaft 24 and haspins 32 which project upwardly through holes .in a chipping disk orplate 33, later to be described in detail. The assembly of driving head3l and chipping disk 33 are locked in position on the upper end of theshaft 24 by means of a washer 3F and nut 35 screwed onto the upperthreaded end of the shaft.

The peripheral wall I8 of the housing l5 has an annular recess 33 forseating the lower end of a cylindrical shell 31 constituting a hopperfor holding ice to be chipped. Surrounding the hopper shell Slisinsulation SSfwhich, in turn, is enclosed by an outer shell 39 havingits lower end seated in a suitable gasket or ferrule d on The outershell 3s" the shelf il of the base 9. is split vertically at one sideand the edges folded outwardly to provide opposed"channels7 di' abovethe spout 20 and is out away'toprovide a clearance for the spout belowthe folded portions. After the outer shell 39 has beentpla'ced in'posi'-tion around the insulation 38 a Q-shaped .tting 42 is slid downwardlyover the outwardly folded' channels ZI to close the seam, see Fig. 3,and a cover" plate detachablyV connected' to the shell below the spout.The top of the hopper 3l is closedby acover ed.

The arrangement of the spout 20 is such as to permit a glass or otherreceptacle to be positioned thereunder and the operation of the motor Q6may be controlled by a switch operated by the receptacle if desired. Asillustrated, however, aseparate manually operated switch its is providedfor controlling operation of the motor 25 to deliver chipped ice fromthe spout 2e. Any suitable arrangement may be provided for draining thewater from ice melting in the machinel such as the one described andclaimed in an application forUnitedStates Letters Patent of Arthur C.Shua-rt, Serial No. 166,897', currently herewith on June 8, w50,V andnow abandoned.

In accordance with the present invention a progressively divergentpassageway le is provided-from'the place where the ice is chipped to thedischarge end'of the spout 29 together with spiral -vanes t dependingfrom the rotating chipping disk 33'which cooperate with the stationaryface plate l'i` for positively propelling the chipped `ice through thepassageway-as fast as it is formed. To this end, the face plate i? is ofconical form with its upper surface sloping downwardly from an annularshoulder adjacent the driving head Si toward the peripheral wall i8.yAlso, the top and bottom walls of spout 2i? progressively diverge fromthe tangential outlet opening "i d in the peripheral wall it to the endof thev spout, see Fig. l. Thus, the passageway iii for chipped iceprogressively increases in depth from the point where chipped iceisforrned-to the point where it4 isdischarged from the end of the spout2i).

The chipping disk or plate 33 is in the form or" a flat plate having anupwardly projecting flange 5| at its outer periphery to increase itsresistance to'bending or deformation. Picks 52 are formed on thechipping disk 33 by punching openings 53 therein, see Fig. 2, to formpointed teeth and bending the teeth upwardly as illustrated in Fig. 6.Preferably, the teeth or picks 52 are stamped with diamond shapedrecesses 55 to provide strengthening ribs therein, see Fig. 7. Asillustrated in Fig. 2, a series of teeth or picks 52 are arranged inpairs at opposite sides of the rotational axis and with each pair spacedangularlyand:` outwardly from" an adjacent pair to provide a series ofteeth at each side of the rotational axis located generally in a spiralfrom the:center.to the periphery of the disk.

led con-- Mounted on and depending from the bottom of the chipping diskor plate 33 are the spiral vanes 50 arranged at the rear of the teeth 52for positively displacing chipped ice as fast as it is formed. The vanes50 are in the form of plates 56 welded or otherwise attached to thebottom of the disk 33 and having right angular depending anges 5l in theform of an Archimedes spiral starting ata point'a adjacent thedrivinghead 3| and ending at a point b at the periphery of the disk at the rearof the point a in the direction of rotation. By reference to Fig. 5, itwill be noted that the flanges 5'! of vanes 5i! varyY in height from thepoint a to the point b corresponding to the slope of the conical faceplate il from -the -driving head 3l to the peripheralwall IS'. The vanes59 cooperate with the upper conical surface of face plate il and act inthernanner of plows to positively propel the chipped ice outwardly andthrough the outlet opening i9 and spout' 2li. Overlying the top of disk33 isa cross strut 58 having its ends seatedv in slots 59 in-brackets onopposite'sidewalls of the hopper D31 vfor'holding the ice in the hopperfrom rotating with the disk. One form offthe invention having now beendescribed in detail, the mode of operatic-nis explained as follows.

To prepare the machine for an ice' chipping operatioruther cover lfiisremoved chunks of ice, such as cakes, manufactured cubes or the like,are placed in hopper 3?. The ice feeds by gravity againstthe top face'ofthe di'skf. When chipped` is desireda glass or other receptacle isplaced under the spout`20 and 4switch 138 actuated manually to' initiateoperation` of the inotor E. Rotation of the motor 23 is transmittedthrough the pinion 2 and reduction gear 28 to rotate shaft 24 and disk33' connected theretoby the driving head Siand pins 32.

As the disk-S3 rotates, the ice at the bottoni of the hopper 3l is heldby cross strut 58 and the upwardly projecting teeth or picks 52 chip iceover substantially the entire area `at thebottom of the .ice pack in thehopper. Ice chipped by the picks' 52 kis delivered through the openings53 surrounding the picks andI into-the chamber or passageway i2betweenthe bottom of the disk andthe conical face plate il. The chippedice entering the passageway 59 is immediately and positively propelledoutwardly on the uppersurfaceof the face plate il by the relativelymoving spiral vanes 5i? as fast as it is delivered thereto. At the outerperiphery of the Aface plate. il' the chipped'ice is forced outwardlythrough the tangential opening id and radial spout 2t by the vanes. Dueto the progressively divergent passageway iis' the chipped ice flowsfreely through the spout E-into the receptacle.

After the desired arnountof ice has been obtainedthe switch fiSisactuated to deenergize the motor-2i? and stop the machine and thereceptacle with the chipped ice therein is removed. Even though thespout 2i! maybe illedwith chipped ice after an ice chipping operation,the passageway dii will not become clogged between periods of operationbecause of the progressively divergent form of the passageway. In otherwords, when the machine is again operated the spiral vanes 5@willpositively displace chipped ice delivered by the rotating disk 33and push theioe ahead of it outwardly'through'the passageway dS whichOilers little or no resistance because of its eXpandingarea-toward theoutlet.

It will now be observed that the present invention provides an improvedice chippinginachineA which eliminates plugging of the passages throughwhich ice is delivered. It will also be observed that the presentinvention provides for positively displacing chipped ice as fast as itis formed and provides a progressively divergent passageway from theplace oi chipping to the place or" discharge. It will still further beobserved that the present invention provides a machine of simple andsturdy construction which is reliable in operation and economical tomanufacture.

While a single embodiment of the invention is herein illustrated anddescribed, it will be understood that modifications may be made in theconstruction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spiritor scope of the invention. Therefore, Without limitation in this respectthe invention is deiined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An ice chipping machine comprising a base, a stationary housingmounted on said base, said housing having an axial bearing sleeve, aconical face, and a peripheral wall having an opening therein, avertically arranged cylindrical hopper for ice above said housing, ashaft rotatable in the bearing sleeve, a disk at the upper end of saidshaft in spaced relation to the conical face of the housing, picksprojecting upwardly from the disk for chipping ice fed axially theretofrom the hopper, said conical face haring away from the disk in adirection outwardly from its rotatable axis, spiral vanes depending fromthe disk for forcing chipped ice outwardly between the spaced disk andconical face of the housing, and a spout having one wall forming acontinuation of the conical face of the stationary housing andprogressively diverging with respect to the opposite wall from theopening in the peripheral wall to its outer end.

2. An ice chipping machine comprising a base, a stationary housingmounted on said base, said housing having a vertically arranged bearingsleeve, a conical face at the upper end of the bearing sleeve, aperipheral wall surrounding the conical face, and a spout extending froman opening in the peripheral wall, a vertically arranged cylindricalhopper above the housing, a drive shaft in the bearing sleeve, anelectric motor mounted on the housing and connected to rotate the driveshaft, a disk mounted on the upper end of the drive shaft and havingteeth projecting upwardly and spiral vanes dependingtherefrom, and theconical face of said stationary housing and the bottom of said diskproviding an annular chamber of progressively increasing height from thepicks outwardly to the peripheral wall and the walls of the spoutforming a co-ntinuation of the chamber with opposite walls progressivelydiverging from the opening in the peripheral wall to its outlet end.

3. An ice chipping machine comprising a hopper for holding ice to bechipped, a stationary housing having a face opposite the end of thehopper, a rotatable chipping disk between the hopper and face of thestationary housing, said chipping disk having at least one pickprojecting from one side for chipping ice fed thereto from the hopperand an opening adjacent the pick through which chipped ice passes, avane projecting from the other side of the disk and extending spirallyfrom its rotatable axis to its periphery for sweeping engagement withthe face of the stationary housing, the rotatable disk and face ci thestationary housing forming the opposite sides of an annular passagewaythrough which chipped ice is propelled outwardly by the spiral vane, aspout extending from the passageway, and said face, rotatable disk andspout being formed to provide a passageway for chipped ice withprogressively diverging sides from the picks to the cuter end of thespout.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date Re. 20,952 Smith Dec. 20, 1938 152,655 Lane June 30, 1874432,758 Mills July 22, 1890 1,426,745 Jerome Aug. 22, 1922 1,816,050 LeeJuly 28, 1931 1,977,320 McKinney Oct. 16, 1934 2,034,951 McArdle et alMar. 24, 1936 2,181,000 Shively Nov. 21, 1939

